Archaeologists discover innovative 40,000-year-old culture in China
A well-preserved Palaeolithic site in northern China reveals a new and previously unidentified set of cultural innovations

Date:
March 2, 2022
Source:
Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
Summary:
When did populations of Homo sapiens first arrive in China and
what happened when they encountered the Denisovans or Neanderthals
who lived there? A new study opens a window into hunter-gatherer
lifestyles 40,000 years ago. Archaeological excavations at the site
of Xiamabei in the Nihewan Basin of northern China have revealed
the presence of innovative behaviors and unique toolkits.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
The discovery of a new culture suggests processes of innovation and
cultural diversification occurring in Eastern Asia during a period
of genetic and cultural hybridization. Although previous studies have established that Homo sapiens arrived in northern Asia by about 40,000
years ago, much about the lives and cultural adaptations of these early peoples, and their possible interactions with archaic groups, remains
unknown. In the search for answers, the Nihewan Basin in northern China,
with a wealth of archaeological sites ranging in age from 2 million to
10,000 years ago, provides one of the best opportunities for understanding
the evolution of cultural behavior in northeastern Asia.


==========================================================================
A new article published in the journal Nature describes a unique
40,000-year- old culture at the site of Xiamabei in the Nihewan
Basin. With the earliest known evidence of ochre processing in Eastern
Asia and a set of distinct blade- like stone tools, Xiamabei contains
cultural expressions and features that are unique or exceedingly rare in northeastern Asia. Through the collaboration of an international team
of scholars, analysis of the finds offers important new insights into
cultural innovation during the expansion of Homo sapiens populations.

"Xiamabei stands apart from any other known archaeological site in China,
as it possesses a novel set of cultural characteristics at an early date,"
says Dr.

Fa-Gang Wang of the Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, whose team first excavated the site.

Cultural Adaptations at Xiamabei "The ability of hominins to live in
northern latitudes, with cold and highly seasonal environments, was
likely facilitated by the evolution of culture in the form of economic,
social and symbolic adaptations," says Dr. Shixia Yang, researcher with
the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Max Planck Institute for the
Science of Human History, in Jena, Germany. "The finds at Xiamabei are
helping us to understand these adaptations and their potential role in
human migration." One of the significant cultural features found at
Xiamabei is the extensive use of ochre, as shown by artefacts used to
process large quantities of pigment.

The artefacts include two pieces of ochre with different mineral
compositions and an elongated limestone slab with smoothed areas bearing
ochre stains, all on a surface of red-stained sediment. Analysis by
researchers from the University of Bordeaux, led by Prof. Francesco
d'Errico, indicates that different types of ochre were brought to
Xiamabei and processed through pounding and abrasion to produce powders
of different color and consistency, the use of which impregnated the
habitation floor. Ochre production at Xiamabei represents the earliest
known example of this practice in Eastern Asia.

The stone tools at Xiamabei represent a novel cultural adaptation for
northern China 40,000 years ago. Because little is known about stone
tool industries in Eastern Asia until microblades became the dominant technology about 29,000 years ago, the Xiamabei finds provide important insights into toolmaking industries during a key transition period. The blade-like stone tools at Xiamabei were unique for the region, with the
large majority of tools being miniaturized, more than half measuring less
than 20 millimeters. Seven of the stone tools showed clear evidence of
hafting to a handle, and functional and residue analysis suggests tools
were used for boring, hide scraping, whittling plant material and cutting
soft animal matter. The site inhabitants made hafted and multipurpose
tools, demonstrative of a complex technical system for transforming raw materials not seen at older or slightly younger sites.

A Complex History of Innovation The record emerging from Eastern
Asia shows that a variety of adaptations were taking place as modern humansentered the region roughly 40,000 years ago.

Although no hominin remains were found at Xiamabei, the presence of modern human fossils at the contemporary site of Tianyuandong and the slightly
younger sites of Salkhit and Zhoukoudian Upper Cave, suggests that the
visitors to Xiamabei were Homo sapiens.A varied lithic technology and the presence of some innovations, such as hafted tools and ochre processing,
but not other innovations, such as formal bone tools or ornaments, may
reflect an early colonization attempt by modern humans. This colonization period may have included genetic and cultural exchanges with archaic
groups, such as the Denisovans, before ultimately being replaced by
later waves of Homo sapiens using microblade technologies.

Given the unique nature of Xiamabei, the authors of the new paper argue
that the archaeological record does not fit with the idea of continuous cultural innovation, or of a fully formed set of adaptations which enabled early humans to expand out of Africa and around the world. Instead,
the authors argue that we should expect to find a mosaic of innovation patterns, with the spread of earlier innovations, the persistence of
local traditions, and the local invention of new practices all taking
place in a transitional phase.

"Our findings show that current evolutionary scenarios are too simple,"
says Professor Michael Petraglia of the Max Planck Institute in Jena,
"and that modern humans, and our culture, emerged through repeated but differing episodes of genetic and social exchanges over large geographic
areas, rather than as a single, rapid dispersal wave across Asia." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Max_Planck_Institute_for_the_Science_of_Human_History.

Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Related Multimedia:
* Ochre_pieces_and_stone_processing_equipment ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Fa-Gang Wang, Shi-Xia Yang, Jun-Yi Ge, Andreu Olle', Ke-Liang
Zhao, Jian-
Ping Yue, Daniela Eugenia Rosso, Katerina Douka, Ying Guan,
Wen-Yan Li, Hai-Yong Yang, Lian-Qiang Liu, Fei Xie, Zheng-Tang
Guo, Ri-Xiang Zhu, Cheng-Long Deng, Francesco d'Errico, Michael
Petraglia. Innovative ochre processing and tool use in China 40,000
years ago. Nature, 2022; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04445-2 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220302110555.htm

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